


Beast Laments the World

by ToraRyusei



Series: Water [2]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-06 23:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15206147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToraRyusei/pseuds/ToraRyusei





	Beast Laments the World

Darkness greater than I’ve ever known it to be. The kind of thing that makes your sight go wild, and it makes you wonder if you can even see to begin with. A type of sensory deprivation, one might say. If I channeled aura to my eyes, maybe I could make out where I was, but I was certain that knowing the dimensions of the room wouldn’t help bring me peace.

 

I hadn’t even tried looking for an exit. Just as much as I wanted to leave, staying here in solitude was better than killing again. Now with this cursed eye, a single glance could sever someone’s life short in an instant. The extent of the Evil Eye’s power, the effects, all of it too dangerous. Not for someone who had lost all confidence in their abilities.

 

Failure. The word which echoed in my head after every mistake I’ve made, every scar etched into my body was just another entry to the record of failures I’ve committed. The image of a princely savior I had so strived to become in my youth was unrecognizable from what I had truly ended up as. A mere pretender, scraping by in a desperate attempt to reach his ideals. I suffered for those ideals, for my code, bringing sadness, disappointment, and for what? In the end, I couldn’t keep the greatest of my promises.

What noble goals I fell short of. What pitiable circumstances I had ended up in. The truth was none of it was worth anything if I couldn’t get results, if I failed to find a way. The hero isn’t allowed to fail, not when he carries the weight of the world. Is that just an ideal? Is there really someone so flawless out there who could continue to fight no matter what fate dealt them? If so, why wasn’t it me?

 

“You have been denying yourself this entire time. The beast within you starved, and that man’s death is the result of your inability.” The voice which corrected me was none other but my own, yet I couldn’t remember speaking those words aloud.

How many more would have died if I never held back my strength?

“Uncertain. The one thing you can be sure of is you wouldn’t be hurting like you are now.”

I’d feel pained all the same.

“Fool. Your empathy is a mere fabrication. Those delusions have warped your brain, now you can’t even tell which side is the real you.”

My words had silenced my thoughts. Or had I just gone mad in this room? I wasn’t even sure how long I’d been in here.

“Keep lying to yourself and the bodies will start to pile up.”

To surrender to the animal side of him, was it to face reality?

Perhaps Shinsuke was right. Death wasn’t anything to be afraid of. In some cases, a blessing and in others, a just punishment.

And I would decide who lives and dies. A king, like Balor regarded me as.

 

It was then my mad soliloquy was interrupted by a light from a corner of the room. A door had been opened, and from it had emerged a man.

 

Rather, a projection of a man. An incandescent glow about him proved he was no more than a hologram.

 

“So you’re the one I have to thank for healing my wounds.” That man was one he’d have thought to never see again. The Youkai Hunter who had first come to him with information about the Yata no Kagami.

“What, they practically stitched themselves up by themselves. All I did was drag you out of the burning library.” Even in his projection, a limp cigarette hung from his mouth.

“I’m guessing you’re aware of what I can do now, seeing as you didn’t come here in person.”

“Right, as much as I’d love to meet face to face, that eye of yours has me weary.”

“There wasn’t much of a reason to open the door then, was it?”

“On the contrary, I’m showing you a way out. It’s already been two days since you’ve been locked up, so I was worried you couldn’t find the door. You’ve been free to walk out of here since the beginning, you know.”

Takii scoffed. “Then why go to the trouble of bringing me here at all?”

“To keep up the appearance I was doing my job. You see, the mirror shard’s been lodged in that eye of yours. It’s the final shard that we need to complete our ritual.

 

The ritual to exterminate all youkai once and for all.”

“Wh…at…?” My voice conveyed my shock, as well as fair amounts of anger rumbling beneath. I could feel once again my animal side take dominance.

The expression on my face just then must have been enough to startle even the affable Hunter. Perhaps he was afraid of the Evil Eye’s effects going beyond the projection.

“Hold on now, I’m not crazy about the idea either. The problem is our future leader is a bit of a visionary, she’s thinking of ending this whole struggle between humans and youkai once and for all. The problem is without youkai to fight, the hunters would cease to be.”

Sympathy was the last thing I had for his plight.

“You’re all vermin to me. I couldn’t care less if your organization dissolved.”

“But you do care if all youkai ceased to be. I remember there’s a certain snow woman that you’re close with…even though she’s only a halfling, there’s no doubt she’d be erased too.”

Anger boiled up in me once again. My vision momentarily flashed red, and I found myself once again aligning with this man. His plan was obvious enough, use me as a scapegoat to stop the plans of the heir apparent so they all can overthrow her while keeping their positions as Hunters. The status quo remains, and I end up the villain in their story.

Having him admit it all wouldn’t make any difference. He knows that I have to act, no matter what.

 

That’s right…both the human and animal sides of me can agree on one thing: I’ll refuse to sit still when lives are in danger.

“You’ll have your wish. I’ll take down that upstart for you. Just know that once this is over, I’ll be abolishing your organization myself.” This new eye of mine certainly was convenient, for the first time, I could see this man on edge.

“There will be opposition, you know. While those who agree with me will steer clear of you, those loyal to her will do whatever it takes to take that eye, whether you’re breathing or not.”

“I won’t be easy to catch.” I still hadn’t found my answer, and yet I began to set off. The hunter pointed me to where I would find the heir, an small island north of Japan that served as the Youkai Hunter’s headquarters.

Would this eye serve me? Would I be able to control my impulses and avoid taking another life? Whether they were fake emotions I had tricked myself into believing or not, I couldn’t stop from resisting the eye’s power with all my strength, to cage the beast starved for blood that lived within me.

Not a single soul was encountered as I made my way out of the room and out into empty streets on the outskirts of town.

There wasn’t any time to hesitate, all I can do is keep moving. The Hunters wouldn’t stop once they knew I was free, and it was a long way to the north of Japan.

So, the hunt begins.


End file.
